Read the thought-provoking reflections from University of Aberdeen's law students, Soibi Okorite & Nnennaya Nwali, after their recent Global South Research Network Roundtable discussion with Professor Engobo Emeseh from the University of Bradford. The Roundtable delved into the UK-Africa Just Transition Report (2023) and other research, exploring its implications for law and policy.
Introduction
The Global South Law Research Network (GSLRN) hosted a Roundtable discussion with Professor Engobo Emeseh, Head of Law School, University of Bradford on 10 November 2023 at the University of Aberdeen. The Roundtable considered inter alia the United Kingdom-Africa Just Transition Report (2023) to unpack the extent to which the report and other academic research can be transposed to law and policy. In doing so, it examined barriers to implementation. From the discussions, it soon became apparent that the link between research and transposition to influence policy has always been challenging. Historically, the government commissioned its research needs while academics have sought to contribute to policymaking to ensure their research have real-life impacts in society. This has led to some disconnect along with many other challenges that are discussed below.
Contemporary Challenges
(i) Disconnect between Research Interests and Activities
We had a rich discussion on the challenges faced in research, chief among them was the source of research funding. Some researchers find themselves pursuing an area or topic that is different from their initial choice due to funding availability. This becomes a slippery slope where researchers pursue a topic due to the availability of funding, but they are unable to invoke a passion for it. Itis important for researchers to be strategic when choosing research areas, and to be systematic in creating access to persons and bodies that are engaged in their desired research spaces. Researchers also need to be introspective and honestly answer for themselves why they are pursuing their research, where and how the biggest impact will be made.
(ii) Silo-ed Research
Another concern was the tendency for researchers to undertake ‘silo-ed research’. for instance, solely looking at a problem through the lens of a lawyer, rather than through a multi-disciplinary perspective. This often runs the risk of overlooking important insight and solutions that can be gained from other disciplines, as nearly every societal issue involves several spheres of study and disciplines, including law, social science, natural science, economics, geography amongst others. Taking a multi-disciplinary viewpoint allows researchers to consider the whole picture and gain a more holistic understanding of complex issues, bringing together diverse expertise and perspectives to foster more comprehensive and innovative approached to problem-solving.
(iii) Long Term Research Impacts
Researchers are implored to be patient and think in the long-term, rather than focusing on the immediate impact of their research. The reality is that a lot of research may not gain immediate traction, whether due to the area’s relative lack of policy popularity at the present or due to the limited ‘accesses’ of the researcher. In the case of the former, researchers must bear in mind that it may take a while before the attention of policymakers come to bear in these areas. For the latter, it is important that researchers leverage any opportunities to mainstream their research, for instance engaging with more popular voices on social platforms, conferences etc, writing short and targeted blog posts around the area, and perhaps staying on the lookout for any accidental opportunities, for instance a wrongly directed tweet.
(iv) Activist versus Researcher
While it is desirable that researchers are passionate about the cause of their research, we must be aware and mind the line between being an activist and a researcher. In most cases, it requires that we can tone-police ourselves, engage diplomatically in our oral and written messaging and are able to code-switch where necessary. We should be aware of the parties and underlying tensions in each space we enter and be able to pass on our messaging/recommendations across in a manner that manages rather than inflame tensions. This will often impact upon whether we are invited back into a particular space or shunned. We must equally be aware of the risk that our voice may be instrumental to drive an agenda, which could sometimes be to our detriment. We should police against this by being pragmatic in our communication and careful with our choice of words.
Final thoughts:
A key takeaway for researchers in this discussion was the need to ‘think local’ and this was relevant to their choice of jurisdiction. This requires truly understanding the space that you are working in, understanding the norms and traditions and the social fabric of the space as this is essential for engaging with actors and stakeholders within such spaces. This often determines how to go about making any impact with your research in the space. It is equally important to be hopeful and optimistic in your messaging, for instance by focusing more of solutions rather than on critiques and celebrating the progress that has been made if any, rather than criticising that they are not yet at a certain gold standard. To do so, you must engage with the history of these spaces to learn where they have come from, what happened along to the way and better understand where they are now, why, and how they can do a step better.
It is important to intentionally build relationships with institutions rather than staying afar to provide all the solutions. Collaborative work was also encouraged as it was considered more sensitive and respectful than attempting to provide all the answers. In terms of institutions, we must not limit collaborations to only academic institutions, but also policy-making institutions, The institutions must mature to some extent before certain changes can be made.
For our research to be relevant, it is important to present them in ways that are relevant in the Global South spaces. What we research must be appliable in the context of the Global South. We must stick to understanding the African framings of the laws to ensure that the quality of impact/outcome will be improved. In doing this, we need to tackle challenges in ways that fully address domestic issues. That is the key to ensuring progress. We found this session to be very impactful, and the takeaways from this session should drive us to create more impactful research.
Suggested Action Points from Participants:
“Having a Law Commission in African countries to oversee law reform and involve academics in law reform."
“It is invaluable to have global networks for colleagues working in related areas. They can provide support and create a critical mass to trigger reforms.”
“Think Global, Act local. Understanding of space, time, location and leveraging the opportunities that exist.”
